June 29 2010 Garden Photo's Part I

CAN I JUST SAY: I wanna be a Jack Russell Terrier when I grow up!!


FINALLY! I planted the bulbs 2 years ago......this is the first time they have popped through the soil AND bloomed! They are so pretty.


Rutgers Heirloom tomatoes. 24 or 28 of them. Slow growing, but growing all the same. Didn't want to spend the money on flowers to make the bed pretty, but didn't want to waste the space. SO I planted the extra tomato plants here.


Weeded and trimmed suckers yesterday (after the photo, of course!)


My purple potato box. Few blooms......but the leaves are starting to lose their color. Aug 1 is about the time to dig!!


Close up of potato box.


Black beans. They plants are FULL of beans!!!
This is the box where I planted carrots, and forgot, and then planted beans on top. You can see the carrots intermixed with the beans!



Red bean box, and my FREE trellis (thank you freebie on Craigs List) They are full of beans too!!



My blue corn will be "knee high by the 4th of July"......totally excited about the corn!


You can see the 'blue' in the corn leaves.


San Marzono tomatoes, crook neck squash, basil, oregano, sage.


LOOK AT THOSE BEAUTIES!!!
San Marzono's

Herbs and squash.


Look at this lovely little thing!!!

As I sit right now typing I can hear the crop duster. MAN is that a sight. This guy is entertaining to watch....up up up, down down down, up up up........the kids and I sit out in the yard and just watch him do his thing!!
Man, I love the country!!!

June 29 2010 Garden Photo's part II

The cucumber and pepper box.
Pepper plants have peppers, cucumbers are off the chain. Every year I say "I am only going to plant 2 plants, it's all we need". Then I plant 6 plants, and give cukes away to strangers in the street!

Here's a close up of one of the ZILLION cukes. Look at the flowers.......each one of those will be a cucumber!!

This is a tomato from my Rutgers Heirloom box. I just went out yesterday and trimmed the suckers off.......

This is the Amish Paste box. These are the plants I grew from seed.....

This is where my Texas Super Sweets WERE!! I am dehydrating them today in my new dehydrator. We'll see how that works out for me!!


This is my black bean box. I had planted carrots here, and nothing was coming up so I loaded it with black beans......



My herbs.
The pot bottom right is my sage from seed.
To it's left, thyme from last year.
To the thyme's left, Basil from seed.
Right of the basil is jalapeno's, and so is the pot to it's right.
Top left in black pot.....peppermint!
And to it's right, Pineapple Sage.
I can't wait to make chicken saltnbooka with the pineapple sage..........

I LOVE FREECYCLE!!!

OH MY GOSH do I love free cycle. Posted a notice that I was looking for "river stone". Small stones that people use in their flower beds. I want to do something prettyful with my downspouts on my gutters......and people get sick of their rock gardens, and post "free if you remove it". I am not afraid to do a little work to get some goodies. WELL I posted a notice that I was looking for this 'river stone', and a lady emailed me and said "hey got some landscape rocks if you want them". I said HECK YEAH! Jake and I loaded up in the truck and picked them up. Took me about 15 min to get them in the truck. ((OK the big grey rock.......that's the Mother's Day rock. It's my favorite rock ever. We were at my mom and dad's house in Spencer on Mother's Day. Jake found a rock in the creek, that he could NOT live without. My mom, dad, the kids, chris, and the dog (cheyenne) all walked down the hill to the creek, dug it out of the creek bed, loaded it onto a cart, and hauled it up the hill. That rock weighs 70-80 pounds. Anyway, this rock has an amazing memory attached to it, so it's my favorite rock ever))
I took the FREE rocks, and laid them around my newly mulched beds.
This is similiar to the way I did my gardens at the old house. I LOVED that garden. It was so pretty. It looks like crap now........the woman that bought the house did not take care of the garden.....
Not bad for FREE!!!!
I am so pleased with the way this looks and how far I got. I had almost enough to do the whole bed.

There's only about 10 feet to fill. I will be patient and see if anyone else wants to get rid of their rocks!!
I am totally digging on the freecycle / craigs list.
Picked up 3 huge trellis', a 100 year old door, and two pieces of lumber. Free.
The door is made of solid solid wood. Not like the welfare junk of today. I think I am going to turn it into a garden table!

Moving Box REDO!! June 14 2010

These are my 'flower beds'. Wow, huh. I have a few roses in there, and some volunteer sunflowers.....I read about lasagna gardening, and thought, "Huh, that sounds like it might work". See there is no grass up here. Only field weeds that will last through the end of time. So I got to thinking "where am I gonna get that many boxes?". Craigs list of course! People are always giving away moving boxes! HERE'S A BIG NOTE TO SELF: When seeing out moving boxes, ask if the giver has pets. My boxes wreaked of cat urine. SO I left them outside through a couple of rain storms to help get rid of the smell.....
WAY overgrown. This should have been taken care of last fall, not now in the middle of June! Lazy gardener!
This is where the sunflowers will grow. Last year the whole south side of the deck was covered in sunflowers. It was so neat to look out the window and see their "smiling" heads full of beautiful flowers waving in the breeze!!
OK Part 1. OPEN box, lay on ground where you want to cover the weeds.
PART 2. Apply mulch or topsoil to the box.
I put down about a 4-6 inch layer of mulch. The mulch was the 'basic' mulch for 25.00 a yard. That was about a full beds worth of mulch.
Looks a little sketchy right now, but it will look better. Note to self. Sunscreen (from Whole Foods that doesn't have all the cancer chemicals in it) is in order. I FRIED myself today. It was hotter than hades too......
This is the south west side of the garden. TA DA. The big pots are Kel's peppers. SEE this looks SO much better and you can tell I DO have roses!
AND volunteer sunflowers. I need to get some rocks around the bed then use the round up to kill the grass 6 inches our to there is no weed wacking to be done, just a buzz by with the push mower.
View from the deck, looking over. This took about 3/4 of a yard of mulch, and about 2 hours of time. I will finish the rest today (as much as I can with the mulch I have left), and then see how much more mulch I need. Not sure where I am going to get the stone.......but it needs to be cheap or free!!!

So Why? Mission statement and credits

Found a GREAT book at the library.
Natural Living, The 21rst Century Guide to a Self-Suffcient Lifestyle by Liz Wright.

Anytime I come across a 'great book' it's usually 30-50% "global warming, mother earth" crap. I just sift through the rhetoric and get to the good stuff. Hippies know a lot.....they just lose me with all the 'love your mother, tie yourself to a tree' business.

On page 14, there is a section called "Before you begin". It's a series of questions, and in the answers you can kind of form a 'mission' statement....a reason why....stuff like that.
I am going to use this as a template to form my own statement.

1. What does your family think?

Like anything, they think I am pretty butt-nutty. However, they do like the benefits so far. Fresh tomatoes in the winter, fresh pears and peaches in the winter, a lot of variety in their meals. Some things 'make sense' to them and some, they are looking at me with a hairy eye. However, this is important to me.....and it's not only for me, but for my whole family. They just don't realize it yet!!

2.How much time do you have.

Well a heck of a lot more now that I am only working one job!! I have the time. I just need to learn how to run my day. Prioritize. Do more than make a list and check it off.....Find a routine or something.

3. How much money do you have to spend?

This is kind of a stupid question, but ok. I have found Craig's List and Freecycle. Those are places where I can find materials for free or cheap. Next, I am gonna figure out how to work an Auction. I don't have a money tree....really though, who does? I am learning that the more I can do on my own the cheaper things are!

4. Do you want to move?

I have 5 acres. I need to use what God has given me, it's more than enough, and it's good....so I will keep from thinking the 'grass is greener.......'

5. What do you really want to acheive?

Self-Reliance. Grow most of my food, raise animals, make my own cheese, yougart and raise my own meat. Do some solar, learn to dry / dehydrate food, have a storage plan, and really just practice 1 Thessalonians 4:11,12 (Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.)

5. What skills do you have?

Wow. Um, well......um........I am teachable? I am getting the hang of the gardening thing. I am not afraid to ask questions, or do research. Networking? That's a skill yes?? I can bargin hunt...
Chris knows everything. He's an engineer. Does that count? :-)

6. What's your personality?

Can I handle the work? Yes. Can I handle being dirty? Yes. Can I stand the smell of poop? I have 3 kids and two dogs and a husband.....sure bring it! Can I chop off a chickens head and pull all of it's feathers off? I say yes.....dh says no way. We'll see. Do I enjoy being outdoors and learning something new all the time? Yes. Can I talk to anyone, will I be able to barter or trade, buy or sell? Uh, yeah.....I am a natural talker. I totally get that honest! I am no princess, so yeah, I can do this!

7. Are you squeamish?

I can't do snot. It makes me want to puke. Chickens don't have boogers. I don't know if goats or cows have snot....I will check first, trust me. Loose teeth make me want to vomit. But that's about it. You can throw any body function at me and I won't bat an eye......snot and loose teeth, I just turn green. On the 'squeamy scale of 1-10 (10 being a mega-wuss) I am a 3.

8. How do you feel about killing for food?

Well, if I am hungry.....Acts 11:7
I think I would take my cow somewhere. I could not do that myself. Chickens.....we'll see. I want to keep birds for 1 year as egg layers only to get used to them, then incorporate meat birds. If I can't do it I will take them to someone who can.......
I will tell my "chicken truck story" later.....

9. How's your health?

Well, God gave me two arms, two legs, a pretty strong back, and a pretty sharp mind.
I am no spring chicken, but I am not bed ridden either.
The better we eat and the more outside time we get, the healthier we will be!!

So really what I lack is direction. Too much willy nilly. I need to get more focused. Not sure how to do that.....I guess I keep reading books, and trying it for myself!!

From the pages of my garden journal

Someone told me that it was good to keep a garden journal.
That was a smart person!!

I am just beginning this blog thing, so my first few posts are going to be out of order.

March 17, 2010
Sunny, close to 70 degrees.

Kel and I decided to 'rename' this holiday to Planting Day. It's 'green, and it makes more sense than going out and drinking until you turn green!!

This year, I set up tables in the basement, with florescent lights 6 inches above the plants.
It was something new. Thought it was a good idea. Hind sight is SO 20/20.

** Note to self. Clean yard in fall. This was a TON of work. I could have been doing so much more, and more productive work had I cleaned the yard in the fall.

Trimmed back the raspberry canes. Did not do a drastic trim, some canes are still about 3 feet tall.
Patches of the yard are turning green!!!

March 28th 2010

Reseeded about 2/3 of the tomatoes.
Will be moving upstairs.

WTH. The basement was too cool....or I don't know what. I am having the hardest time with starting tomatoes from seed.

March 31 2010

Soil test.
Ph Normal to high
N low
P low
K low
None of this is a surprise.

April 4 2010

Reseeded, again.
Built raised bed boxes today.
Brought all seed starts OUT of the basement and put them in the window upstairs (south facing picture windows.

April 6th 2010

Bought Texas Sweet yellow onion sets. Planted them in the new raised bed box. The soil temp in the box was 60 degrees.

April 11 2010

Watered onions. 1/3 of the tomatoes started from seed have their 2nd set of leaves. They are tiny and pathetic looking.

April 12, 2010
Planted purple potatoes
Eyes grew in the basement over the winter about 6-8 inches tall....
Planted in box, in hills.
Watered taters and onions.

April 13-15 2010

Bird watered everything for me while I was out of town.

April 17 2010

Planted 2 apple trees and 1 pear tree. All dwarf from Stark Bros. Mulched around new trees. Watered onions and potatoes. Onions look good. I can see a couple of potato sprouts!!
Raspberry canes are FULL of leaves. All canes are alive. About 10 gazillion new raspberry starts.
Grass is cray long.
Seed starts look.....decent.

April 19 2010

Planted horseradish out front. Lots of potato plants popping up. Transplanted 1/2 of my tomatoes to larger pots. Bought organic fertilizer from Whole Foods. "Orgainicare Pure and Natural Plant Food" In a white bag with green print. Smells like chicken poop.......wow.
6+6+5+8% Ca (whatever that means)

April 21 2010

Transplanted 8 bell peppers out of small pots into 5 inch pots
Used the organic fertilizer.
Transplanted more tomatoes
total tom plants 50
total pepper plants 15
Will split more toms tomorrow.

April 22 2010

Transplanted the rest of the tomatoes. 78 total

April 28 2010

Started cucumber seeds
Tallest tomato plant is 2 inches. Stem is the size of a pencil led.
Most are smaller
69 total plants. Thinned out the weak ones.

April 28 2010

Heavy Frost.
Grrrrrrrrrrr
80% of potatoes look fine, but they didn't get covered and the tops turned purplish brown.
Onions did fine.
Tilled a garden spot for kel. The ground is like concrete.

May 2 2010

Planted carrots and radishes.
Soil was wet when I planted
Good hard rain May 3

May 5 2010

SOOOOOOPER windy
Planted red beans and black beans.
Too windy to put out any starts
Rye is about 3 feet tall.
Raspberry bushes are full. Lots of leaves and starting to see berry starts.
Lots of bees!!
Onions look great
Potatoes look great. Very green tops. Frost didn't kill any!!
All new trees showing leaves!!

May 6 2010

Planted cucumber starts
The boy and I made a trellis. It's wobbly, but we'll see!
Planted 6 total plants.
Discovered I am a total tool. Planted beans and radishes on top of carrots. Nice.
Planted 4 tomato plants and put water bottles over them act like mini green houses.

**NOTE to self. Don't shove water bottles deep into soil. When you pull them out, it rips the whole plant out.

May 10 2010

Planted 24 tomatoes. The big ones (about 2-3 inches tall)
Put grass around them, watered them.
Covered with plastic.

**NOTE to self. Don't cover with plastic.

May 16 2010

Took the plastic off on 5/13. Plants were fine. 80% looked healthy.
Smaller ones turned purple and looked like crap or were dead.

Cukes look great.
Everything planted, looks great.

May 20 2010

Yesterday, went into my fenced 60 x 60 garden. Walked through the 3 foot section with no fence, only to find the &$@(& skunk did the same. And he ate my tomato plants and pepper plants.
Guess who needs to build a gate?
Rolled extra fence in the entry of the garden.
Unbelievable.
Red beans coming up strong.
Black beans, sporatic, but good.
Cook this week...high in the 60's lows in low 50's.

May 25 2010

Let the panic begin.
Bought 6 San Marzono plants from Whole Foods. They are about 2 feet tall, with a big thick healthy stem....
Planted them. Grassed around them
Also bought Pineapple Sage, basil, sage, peppermint, and oregano.
Went to Hortons and bought Jalapeno plants, red bell peppers, zuchinni and squash(crook neck).
Planted all and grassed the bed (all the above went into the same bed)
It was HOT and humid. Almost 90 for the last 3 days.
Moved compost tumbler into garden.
Moved all pots off deck and into garden

**NOTE to self. Deck is SCREAMING hot and will kill any plant trying to grow on it.

May 27 2010

Added 200lbs of bagged topsoil to potatoes
Hilled it up.
Weeed my bean beds. Takes about 20 min a bed.

**NOTE to self. OMGosh weeding is SO easy in raised beds.

Bought at Lowes today: Parsley. Planted it with other herbs. Also bought 24 Rutgers Tomato plants (Heirloom Tomato). Planted those too. Did not mix those with other existing planted tomato plants. They got their own bed!
Weeded bed with zuchinni.
Not a lot of rain, been watering.
Potato plants look AMAZING and are starting to flower.
All plants look GREAT.